Mood Disorders and Symptoms in Girls

Women are two to three times more likely to experience unipolar depressive disorders as seen in both community-based and clinically referred samples (Kessler, McGonagle, Swartz, Blazer, & Nelson, 1993; Nolen-Hoeksema, 1990;Weissman & Klerman, 1978;Weissman, Leaf, Bruce, & Florio, 1988). This is true whether depression is diagnosed as a (mood) disorder or measured along a continuum of symptom severity. Knowledge of factors that alter the course of depression can help improve both prevention and treatment efforts. Early intervention is important given the negative developmental trajectory for depression in childhood and adolescence (Harrington, Fudge, Rutter, Pickles, & Hill, 1990).